Resolve, specifically the kind where you've accepted what it will cost. Outstanding word.

What a Japanese person actually thinks
Serious and admired. 覚悟はできている ('I'm prepared') is what a character says before doing something irreversible. It reads as maturity, not bravado.

Meaning

Literally: awaken + realise
Actually: Being prepared — having accepted the consequences of what you're about to do. Not optimism. Not hope. Clear-eyed readiness for the bad outcome.

Scores

Naturalness●●●●●

Common, current, and strongly felt.

Coolness●●●●●

Two dense, balanced characters and a meaning English genuinely lacks. One of the best choices on this whole site.

Watch out

Nothing embarrassing lurking in here.

On skin

覚悟

Orientation: vertical

Bold Mincho or brush. Both characters have the heart radical on the left — a good artist will make them rhyme.